Chair on tracks



Feb. 17, 1953 F. THOMPSON EI'AL CHAIR ON TRACKS Filed Jan. 20, 1950 INVENTOR THOMPSON Q HERBERT E. ROTHENBAUM FRANK ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 17, 1953 CHAIR ON TRACKS Frank Thompson and Herbert E. Rothenbaum, Denver, Colo.

Application January 20, 1950, Serial No. 139,592

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to chair tracks, and more particularly to a track arrangement for chairs for use in restaurants, dining rooms and the like, to facilitate the movement of a chair near a dining table to enable a patron to be seated or to leave the table.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved chair track arrangement which is very simple, which is easy to install,-

and which enables a person to be seated at-fa table or to leave the table with a minimum amount of efiort and without disturbing patrons at adjacent tables.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved chair track for use in dining rooms, restaurants and similar establishments, said arrangement involving a very few parts, allowing a chair to be rotated to a very substantial angle, and allowing a person to be seated at a table or to leave a table without requiring the chair to be lifted.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing a chair disposed adjacent a table and illustrating the use of improved track elements for receiving the lower ends of the legs of the chair, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional, vertical detail view taken through the lower end of one of the chair legs and its receiving track;

Figure 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional, detail view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, II generally designates a chair provided with four legs designated respectively at I2, I 3, l4 and I5 in Figure 1. Secured to the bottom end of each leg is a hemispherical, metal socket [6 which receives a ball bearing [1. The ball bearing of the left, rear leg l5, as viewed in Figure 1, is received in a relatively large, concave seat [8 embedded in the floor and defining a fixed, pivotal bearing around which the chair ll may be swiveled, as will be subsequently described. Designated at I9 is a semicircular, concave track formed of metal or the like which is embedded in the floor and which has its center at the pivot seat l8. As shown in Figure 1, the left, front leg l2 and the right, rear leg H have their ball bearings ll positioned in the trackway l9. Designated at is another arcuate trackway extending parallel to the trackway l9 and which is embedded in the floor in the same manner as trackway IS, the trackway 20 being arranged to receive the ball bearing I'l associated with the front, right leg l3. As shown in Figure 1, the trackways l9 and 20 are arranged so that they will guide the legs [2, I4 and [3 when the chair II is swung from its full line position, wherein it is positioned facing the table 2|, to a dotted line position wherein the chair faces in a direction substantially at right angles to the full line position of Figure 1. In being rotated from its full line position to its dotted line position of Figure l, and vice versa, the position of the leg l5 remains fixed, inasmuch as its ball bearing i1 pivotally supports the leg in the seat I8.

From the above description. it is apparent that a person may be readily seated without lifting the chair by first rotating the chair to its dotted line position of Figure 1, allowing the person to occupy the chair, and then returning the chair to its full line position of Figure 1, whereby the person confronts the table H. A person may readily leave the table without lifting the chair by reversing the above procedure.

By the above-described arrangement, patrons in restaurants, dining rooms, and similar establishments may be readily seated with a minimum of discomfort and inconvenience, and may readily leave their tables without disturbing diners at adjacent tables.

While a specific embodiment of an improved track arrangement for chairs has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a chair having four legs and a table, closely adjacent to the chair, resting upon a supporting surface, of means for mounting said chair for movement from a p0- sition facing and partially underlying said table to a laterally facing position for receiving or discharging an individual, said means comprising a rotatable caster carried by each of said legs, a bearing member carried by said supporting surface and receiving the caster of one of the rear legs for mounting said chair for pivotal movement about the longitudinal axis of said one rear leg, means spaced from said bearing member and carried by said supporting surceiving the casters of the remaining legs of said' chair.

2. The combination with a chair having four legs and a table, closely adjacent said chair, resting upon a supporting surface, of means for mounting said chair for movement from a position facing and partially underlying said table to a laterally facing position for receiving or discharging an individual, said means comprising a rotatable caster carried by each of said legs, a bearing member carried by said supporting surface and receiving the caster of one of the rear legs for mounting said chair for pivotal movement about the longitudinal axis of said one rear leg, means spaced from said bearing mez ser and carried by said supporting surface providing a first arcuate track arranged concentrically of said longitudinal axis, said first track being spaced from said bearing member and receiving the caster of the front leg of said chair diagonally opposed to said one rear leg, and means spaced from said bearing member and carried by said supporting surface providing a second arcuate track disposed in inwardly spaced parallel relation with respect to said first arcuate track, said second track being spaced from said bearing member and receiving the casters of the remaining legs of said chair, the means providing said first and second arcuate tracks each comprising an annular grooved segment embedded in said supporting surface.

3. The combination with a chair having four legs and a table, closely adjacent said chair, resting upon a supporting surface, of means for mounting said chair for movement from a position facing and partially underlying said table to a laterally facing position for receiving or discharging an individual, said means comprising a rotatable caster carried by each of said legs, a bearing member carried by said supporting surface and receiving the caster of one of the rear legs for mounting said chair for pivotal movement about the longitudinal axis of said one rear leg, means spaced from said bearing member and carried by said supporting surface providing a first arcuate track arranged concentrically of said longitudinal axis, said first track being spaced from said bearing member and receiving the caster of the front leg of said chair diagonally opposed to said one rear leg, and means spaced from said bearing member and carried by said supporting surface providing a second arcuate track disposed in inwardly spaced parallel relation with respect to said first arcuate track, said second track being spaced from said bearing member and receiving the casters of the remaining legs of said chair, each of said rotatable casters including a downwardly opening socket carried by each of said legs and a ball rotatably supported in each of said sockets.

FRANK THOMPSON. HERBERT E. ROTHENBAUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,123,960 Von Der Lin Jan. 5, 1915 1,379,958 Blumenthal May 31, 1921 1,473,191 Levin NOV. 6, 1923 1,713,980 Saives May 21, 1929 1,903,267 Roberts Mar, 28, 1933 2,024,045 Johnson Dec. 10, 1935 2,278,101 Browne Mar. 31, 1942 

